In 1970, when wuxia films were still riding high, the Post’s Vincent Wong wrote a weekly column about Chinese films called Chinese Filmscope for the newspaper.
Two running stories dominated the column that year: the rumour that Cheng Pei-pei, Hong Kong’s superstar “Queen of Swordplay”, was going to give up making films, and the whispers that powerful Shaw Brothers executive Raymond Chow was planning to leave the company.
Cheng did stop making films – albeit in 1974 – and Chow, after many denials at the start of 1970, left Shaw late that year to found rival company Golden Harvest.
Reading through Wong’s informative articles is enlightening. It may come as a surprise to some readers that Hong Kong’s most revered director in 1970 was Lo Wei, a martial arts filmmaker who is now regarded as a lesser artist.
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Similarly, martial arts legend Angela Mao Ying was not even noticed by film critics in her debut movie, although Wong disagreed with his peers and said she had star potential. In fact, Wong had a good eye for talent, having also correctly predicted that now legendary swordswoman Hsu Feng would become a “brilliant star”.
Learn how film history was made in real time by reading the extracts from Chinese Filmscope below.
February 26, 1970
A new swordswoman in the making: A promising new face is about to emerge before thousands of film fans. She is Shih Szu, a sweet and slender looking girl recruited from Taiwan. She was chosen from among 3,000 applicants by Shaw Brothers, and her first film is a swordplay epic The Crimson Charm, directed by Huang Feng. She is now busy filming another movie with Cheng Pei-pei [The Lady Hermit].
Shaws have high hopes for her. Many share the confidence that she could become the leading swordswoman star, especially since Cheng Pei-pei is leaving the film world. [Shih did go on to become a major martial arts star, although she was never as big as Cheng.]
March 26, 1970
A major event for thousands of film fans is the departure of Cheng Pei-pei from Shaws and Hong Kong. No fan of hers will want to miss Brothers Five, which gives ample opportunity for the Queen of Swordplay. The plot is relatively simple. Five brothers who have dispersed since childhood manage to reunite and avenge their father’s death by killing a villain.
Director Lo Wei has great confidence in the film. [Cheng was rumoured to be quitting the movie business when she left Shaw Brothers, but she returned to Hong Kong from the United States and made films for Golden Harvest. She did quit after 1974’s Whiplash, but began making films again in 1982.]
May 7, 1970
Director Chang Cheh’s new film Vengeance! has received high acclaim since its release last week in midnight shows. The action-packed fighting scenes were presented in a different manner than in the average swordplay. Stars are young talents David Chiang, Wang Ping, Ti Lung, and Alice Au.
In more recent productions, Chang has branched out into more varied films, although he enjoyed high acclaim in the swordplays. Among his coming films is a musical. [The “musical” referred to was probably The Singing Killer, which was actually a contemporary drama, although Chang had made an “action musical” in 1969 called The Singing Thief.]
May 14, 1970
Shaw Brothers have taken up the current “promotional trend” to get more publicity for their films. Films like Winged Tiger, A Place To Call Home, and Have Sword, Will Travel all had promotion in the form of essay competitions, drawing contests, a barbecue party and puzzle contests. A photographic contest is believed to be the first of its kind. Contestants have to take pictures from a television screen when the stars appear on a TVB programme tomorrow evening. The screen photo contest is geared to promote the film Vengeance!.
The other promotion will be a huge beach party to be held next week at Repulse Bay. The highlight of the evening to promote the melodrama Young Lovers could be the barbecue chickens. [There is no follow-up report to confirm whether the chickens outshone the stars.]
May 28, 1970
Hsu Feng shows great promise: A new talent described by many as the greatest discovery by director King Hu since Sheung Koon Ling-fung [Polly Shang-kuan Ling-feng] is now in the Colony. She is Hsu Feng, a 20-year-old starlet who took the leading role in the film A Touch of Zen, due to be released here soon.
Hsu first appeared with Sheung Koon Ling-fung in the master swordplay Dragon Inn about three years ago. As she portrayed only a minor character in the $2,000,000 film she was ignored by most fans. However, King Hu spotted her talent and put her on his new production A Touch Of Zen without hesitation.
With her Chinese boxing skills, riding, swimming and singing talent she is expected to become another brilliant star. She enjoyed her hard work and tries hard to excel as a superb swordswoman. She was even injured during filming, and went to hospital for more than two weeks to have her wounds healed. [Hsu Feng did indeed go on to be a “brilliant star” and she became a “Queen of Swordplay” to rival Cheng Pei-pei.]
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October 29, 1970
Golden Harvest’s debut film The Invincible Eight has been on local screens for a week. Favourable remarks have been passed on the company’s new talent Miao Kuo-shiao [Nora Miao]. Another new face, [Angela] Mao Ying was, however, less fortunate, and has received much less acclaim from local critics. In fact, Mao, who underwent severe training in Taiwan before joining Golden Harvest, has created quite an impression on the film’s fans, and should be considered one of the few stars that could please audiences more.
It is expected that her talent will be more widely proclaimed when another of her films, The Angry River, is released. [Angela Mao went on to become a megastar of kung fu films, and was later known as the “Female Bruce Lee”.]
December 3, 1970
The boxer lands a golden punch: Although it has been showing for less than a week, the latest Shaw Brothers release, The Chinese Boxer, has already grossed more than a million dollars. This is an unusual achievement for Mandarin films this year, especially as the film was released with little publicity.
The Chinese Boxer helps restore the image of its star Wang Yu, following a run of less than good performances. In this film, Wang proves himself to be good box office, recalling his heady days as the One-Armed Swordsman. Not only is this film a breakaway from the usual swordplays, it has a clear-cut style of its own. There is still an excess of horrific bloodshed, beyond what most film-goers need. [One of the most influential martial arts films ever, The Chinese Boxer started the wave of unarmed combat/kung fu films which dominated the 1970s.]
In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved genre. Read our comprehensive explainer here.
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